His politics for 2012 is becoming apparent. He wants to win the independent vote. He does that by getting the big deal. But he needs to cut entitlements: Medicare and Social Security to get there.

It certainly suggests that the mode -- the tone the President set today is a -- is a tone set by someone who thinks that talks are near collapse or not going anywhere and he's trying to scold the Republicans into action.

Every major economist, every major financial institution -- the International Monetary Fund today issued a report saying there's going to be a severe shock to the economy nationally and internationally if we don't -- if we go into default.

I'm sorry. Just let's get -- factually, the administration has never set four dates and said it's -- we're going to have real consequences if we don't hit this date.

If he really were truly near an agreement, I imagine he would have dropped all those snide comments about Republicans.

Well, he has. He has chosen I think what was aptly called earlier tonight a Goldilocks strategy. And that is, there's some people who want to move out rapidly, some people who want to stay a long time. I'm going to choose the middle of…

I think it was a very good speech -- brought into focus his overall philosophy. And you have to say he promised as a candidate and early on in his presidency he would wind down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and try to do that…

There is a split in the Republican Party now that is very, very unusual between the war hawks, the neo-conservatives if you would like to call them that -- and many of them signed that letter.

He would be far better to knock off Gadhafi quickly.

I happen to agree with them.

There's a war weariness in the land, after 10 years.

I did think there were three winners tonight: Romney, who helped himself the most. Gingrich, who remained in the race. But Michele Bachmann, I thought, was the biggest surprise, because she was -- I don't think the country knew her well.